Painted fern out of ink? 😂
I having the funniest thing with a painted fern this year, and I would love some insight if anybody here has expertise/experience with painted ferns. I live in SE PA, US.
I moved here 5 years ago. Painted ferns have been here and have been growing, tended to, learned about, and I have been dividing them for all that time.
This one (first pic) popped up last year on its own. However, it was late in the season, there was an ostrich fern growing with it, so it was tiny and misshapen, and fairly green. I just ignored it as fall was here.
This year when it came up, the first leaves looked very much like on ostrich fern. But then the shape started changing a bit, but it stayed green! It’s definitely a painted fern, and not 5 feet away in similar light is a fully painted one.
The other pic is of one growing in complete shade, all day, under a canna and ferns in one of my ponds. It’s also painted, lol!
Any idea what is going on here? Fungus? Weird mutation? I have painted ferns in ALL levels of light, so I’ve seen how the colors get changed - but this one baffles me growing in completely green.